Shelving systems comprising a plurality of flat shelves supported by several post members resting on a floor are known in the art. Such systems are often made of metal and are adjustable to vary shelf heights. Individual shelves can be secured to the posts at varying heights to accommodate and support items of various sizes, thus enabling great flexibility as product designs and storage requirements change. An adjustable shelving system has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,424,111 and 3,523,508.
Similarly, shelving systems comprising a plurality of flat shelves that are supported by braces mounted on a wall are also known in the art. It is often desired to employ a wall-mounted system rather than a shelf assembly supported by several posts resting on a floor under certain circumstances. For example, it may be desired not to have the shelving assembly rest on the floor in order to keep the floor clear of obstructions. Also, the configuration and size of the storage area may dictate that a wall-mounted system is more practical or efficient. Other various reasons dictated by different storage requirements may also make a wall-mounted assembly more feasible than an assembly supported by posts resting on a floor.
Wall mounted shelving assemblies have commonly been supported by a pair of wire welded braces and J-shaped brackets. Typically, two J-shaped brackets are mounted to the wall at shelf height to hold the back of the shelf. Each wire brace is mounted to the wall by means of U-shaped brackets and each brace supports one side of the shelf. The shelf is snapped into the wire braces and is held in place by a friction fit.
Such prior art braces used to mount shelf assemblies to a wall are constructed from a plurality of wire rods welded together to form a frame to support the shelves. Such braces are normally designed to support one, two or three shelves.
Although such brace mounting systems are sufficiently strong to adequately support the shelves, the braces are relatively expensive and time consuming to manufacture. The many wires used to form the brace must be cut to specific lengths, assembled in a welding fixture and all welded together. This is a time consuming process that requires an inordinate amount of labor and, consequently, is relatively expensive. Furthermore, because of the many wire rods that comprise each brace, the braces tend to be rather heavy.
Another limitation of the wire brace mounting system is that the distance between the shelves supported by the system can not be varied. Also, the wire braces are designed to support either one, two or three shelves and are not adaptable to vary the number of shelves. That is, a brace designed to support one shelf is not adaptable to support two or three shelves and a two-shelf brace cannot be adapted to support three shelves. Both of these limitations severely limit the flexibility and adaptability of the wire brace mounting system to accommodate and support items of various sizes to meet varying storage requirements.
A further limitation of the wire brace mountings is that they greatly limit access to the sides of the shelves because of the shape and configuration of the braces.
Still another limitation of prior art wire brace mounting systems is that the shelves can be inadvertently disengaged by unintentional jarring of the shelves. Such disengagement can result in stored items falling off the shelf and becoming damaged or ruined, and also in injuries to any persons in the immediate area struck by the falling items, which are often of substantial weight.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for mounting a plurality of shelves on a wall or similar support surface at varying heights and in different configurations to accommodate and support items of various sizes and to meet various storage requirements.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wall-mounted shelving system that is easy and economical to manufacture.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for mounting a shelving system on a wall that is light weight yet strong enough to support the heavy loads of the shelves.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a means for mounting a shelving system on a wall that does not hinder access to the shelves.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a wall mounting system for shelves that will securely hold the shelves in place so that they will not be inadvertently disengaged.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one shelf is mounted on a wall or other support surface by means of a pair of c-shaped brackets and a pair of tubular braces. The brackets are adapted to be mounted on the wall and to removably hold the back of the shelf. The tubular braces are each provided with flattened flange areas at each end, with one flange disposed at a 45.degree. angle to the longitudinal axis of the brace. Each flange area is provided with at least one hole to receive a bolt or screw. Each brace is mounted on the wall on opposite sides of the shelf by placing the angled flange against the wall and screwing a lag bolt through the hole in the flange into the wall. The other flange on each brace is screwed to a side of the shelf. A second shelf can be mounted below the first shelf by means of a second pair of brackets secured to the wall below the first pair of brackets. A pair of support members are secured to the first shelf and extend downwardly therefrom to help support the second shelf, which is secured to the support members below the first shelf. Additional shelves can be added to the system by use of additional brackets and support members.